Representing the Other

Media has the ability to blur the lines of reality - what was once a tragedy may transform into entertainment once it is published and put into the hands of the general public. This shift from atrocity to spectacle is clearly evident in today’s mainstream media from car crashes, medical dramas, and of course the brutalities of war. Susan Sontag explains this effect in her book Regarding the Pain of Others, “In this view, a beautiful photograph drains attention from the sobering subject and turns it towards the medium itself […] The photograph gives mixed signals. Stop this, it urges. But also exclaims, What a spectacle! “ (76-77). I believe Sontag claims that when people see a war photo they feel a sense of shock, but this shock in turn may diminish the sympathy that society should feel when they are presented a picture of war. War has developed into a source of entertainment, which consequently may make people forget the true pain and suffering experienced behind the battle lines. Clint Eastwood tries to avoid this common misconception in his movie Letters from Iwo Jima, in which he brilliantly portrays the Japanese perspective of the famous battle. He depicts the other so that audience feels emotionally attached to the main character. Eastwood decides to include a flashback of the main characters wife and their unborn son. Instead of just dramatizing war, Clintwood depicts the war from the view of ‘the other,’ and he also brings ‘the other’ closer to home, so the audience can relate to the character. In doing so Clintwood grants the audience the ability understand the pain that the Japanese soldiers and their families suffered. I think Clintwood’s intended purpose was to make a statement about how our culture always turns war into an action packed movie, and by alternatively incorporating a personal account the viewer no longer is being sent “mixed signals” of how they should react.